Yeah he's jumping out at TSC just north of Raleigh and from what his AFF Instructors and ground coach say he's going do be a solid skydiver. They went with the paddles and they work great. Can't beleive other DZ's said no.

Since this has been brought up, I was wondering, are there any ASL signs that would be really useful for jumpers to learn in case we need to communicate with deaf jumpers? Maybe BillyVance can shed some light on this, but it seems like I meet deaf jumpers all the time, and it would be nice to be able to communicate with them in times of emergency etc.

Since this has been brought up, I was wondering, are there any ASL signs that would be really useful for jumpers to learn in case we need to communicate with deaf jumpers? Maybe BillyVance can shed some light on this, but it seems like I meet deaf jumpers all the time, and it would be nice to be able to communicate with them in times of emergency etc.

I do believe that EMT's should have at least a basic knowledge of sign language in case one of us gets fucked up on a jump or something and needs to be able to communicate where the pain is. Most community colleges offer classes on ASL that are taught by deaf people or licensed interpreters.

As a CRW jumper, I usually go over the emergency procedures in case shit goes south so that I have a plan for each specific type of emergency and that my jump mates know what to do around me if I am unable to communicate (engulfed in canopy, etc and can't hear them).

Shit, you should have seen us all just chatting in ASL on the plane during our Deaf World Record events or other deaf gatherings at the DZ. No yelling ever needed over the drone of the engines.

If you ever meet a deaf skydiver that you're jumping with, just find some kind of medium that both of you are comfortable with, before the jumps.